Motorola today announced a joint event with Intel to take place on September 18th. As is often the case, the invitation and its tag line “Let us take you to the edge” shed little light on what could be announced.

Intel yesterday announced its first-quarter earnings with revenues coming in at US$12.9 billion, operating income at US$3.8 billion, and net income at US$2.7 billion. On the investor call that followed, CEO Paul Otellini announced that the first Intel-based smartphone will launch “later this week.”

As for who could introduce this first, there are a couple of likely suspects. It could be India-based Lava with its XOLO X900 with 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor and a 4.0-inch display. Another possibility is Lenovo with its K800, sporting a 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor, Android 4.0 and a 4.5-inch display. ZDNet has its money on the former with Lenovo to follow next month.

Whether we see these in North America any time soon also remains to be seen.

Other Intel partners include Motorola, Orange, and ZTE but they’re not expected to release their devices until later this year. Intel is also having a “continuing dialogue” with both Apple and Samsung (and likely others) but these have yet to yield any announcements.

A leaked image obtained by PocketNow suggests that Motorola and Intel could unveil an Intel Medfield smartphone at Mobile World Congress. The device could also be Motorola’s first smartphone to be powered by Android 4.0.

The report adds that the device will run a new version of Motorola’s Motoblur user interface and will sport an instant-on camera capable of 15 frame-per-second burst capture. Unfortunately, there are no other details about the device yet.

Motorola has not planned any events at MWC so the unveiling honours may fall to Intel instead. It is scheduled to hold a news conference on Monday, February 27th so all should be revealed then.

Intel and Motorola yesterday announced a new partnership that will see Motorola develop Android devices powered by Intel Atom processors. The “multi-year, multi-device strategic relationship” will cover both smartphones and tablets.

“When great silicon and software technology meets great mobile and design innovation, amazing things can happen,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “Our long-term relationship with Motorola Mobility will help accelerate Intel® architecture into new mobile market segments. We expect the combination of our companies to break new ground and bring the very best of computing capabilities to smartphones and tablets, which in turn will help to create powerful new experiences that connect and enrich people’s lives wherever they may be.”

Motorola expects to ship its first Intel-powered Android phone in the second half of the year. It will use Intel’s new Medfield, Atom Z2460 processor.

We are likely to learn much more about this upcoming device (and hopefully others) at next month’s Mobile World Congress.

According to a report by the Korea Times, LG could unveil an Intel-powered smartphone at CES 2012. The device would run on Intel’s Medfield system-on-a-chip (SOC).

“LG Electronics will produce Intel’s first Android smartphones that use Intel’s own mobile platform. The device will be shown at the CES,” said a top-ranking executive.

Dominant in the PC market, Intel has struggled to establish itself in the mobile space. This may not change according to another LG executive who asked not to be identified. This person suggested that LG would not release such a device and is simply promoting this reference device because of ” huge subsidies from Intel.”

LG and Intel partnered up to deliver a smartphone running Intel’s Moorestown chipset a year ago but the device never made it to market. Originally scheduled to be released in mid-2011, it was eventually cancelled due to “a lack of marketability.”